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[mare]

I loved how he ended the Dark Tower Series! A friend of mine is reading it now and I can't wait until he gets to the end so I can see his reaction. LOL

I tend to leave many of my endings very open purposely. I'm not a fan of neat bows on things unless it's a genre that needs them. I am more prone to tie everything up in a regular drama than I am in a suspense. When it comes to the suspense stuff I like to leave a few unanswered questions in the air that the reader can try to fill in the blanks themselves. Like I did with Hope and whatever happened to Tim. As a writer, it's great to sit back and see people wonder, "Does that mean that he killed himself?" "Did he get the death penalty?" "Did he just not have any more visitors ever again?" "Did he escape?" Only Tim and I know the answer and neither of us will ever spill! LOL

I think leaving those unanswered questions though sometimes leads to pressure to create a sequel. This is where I went horribly wrong with Mizpah (Which I know I've said a ton of times! lol) That story was meant to be left with a totally opened ending. No one was supposed to ever know what happens to Nick at the end. Only thing I didn't count on was so many people begging me to find out and insisting that I write a sequel for it. Which I did. And then the same thing happened after the sequel. I left it opened and once again got more "You need to write a sequel!!" So I did...again. LOL It all came about purely because of peer pressure. The problem with that is I didn't really "feel" those sequels so to me, the writing wasn't as good. Which is horrifying to think after going back and reading a little of Mizpah. Yikes!!

The older and wiser me now says, sorry! No sequel unless I had intended for there to be one from the get-go like I did with Protect and Serve. Even then I wasn't happy with the outcome of that one either. LOL Maybe I'm just not made for sequels although one of my favorite stories I've written is a sequel (Seasons of Change)

 

[RokofAges75]

So here is my question: How do you feel about open endings? Do you like everything to be tied in a neat bow before you actually consider a story to be finished or do you enjoy leaving some of it out for interpretation?

I personally prefer endings that tie up the loose ends and wrap them up in a nice neat bow, whether they are happy or sad.  But I also think open endings lend themselves well to certain types of stories, especially suspense and horror.  I'm more likely to leave those stories open to interpretation, whereas in a drama or romance I want to see the characters come to some kind of resolution.

Another one: How do you feel about sequels? (kind of in regards to the first question and open endings) When you write a sequel do you know you're going to do it at the beginning or it is something you don't realize until you are done with the first story? What's the motivation behind your writing a series or a sequel to a story and have you ever regretted your decision to do it?

I am not a big fan of sequels, I've decided.  I think if it's planned out at the beginning that the story will take place across several installments, like Harry Potter, then sequels work, but when they're written after the fact, almost as an afterthought, they're rarely as good as the first and sometimes even ruin the first by taking it too far.  I'm speaking as a reader and a writer with this.  I have been there, done that with writing sequels, and I don't think I will ever write another one.

There are stories that I've written where I planned to have a sequel from the beginning, but most of my sequels were not planned until the first story was almost finished, which might explain why most of them suck LOL.  The only sequels I regret writing are the ones I never finished (a couple that were collaborations way back in the day), but the only one that was actually worth writing was By My Side.  With that one, I didn't plan to write a sequel until I was almost done with Broken and realized there was more story to tell if I went the romance route.  I don't think it needed a sequel, but I also don't think it was hurt by having one.  I just don't see myself doing any more unless I was going to go the J.K. Rowling route and write a big fantasy epic... which will never happen. LOL

[RokofAges75]

I think leaving those unanswered questions though sometimes leads to pressure to create a sequel. This is where I went horribly wrong with Mizpah (Which I know I've said a ton of times! lol) That story was meant to be left with a totally opened ending. No one was supposed to ever know what happens to Nick at the end. Only thing I didn't count on was so many people begging me to find out and insisting that I write a sequel for it. Which I did. And then the same thing happened after the sequel. I left it opened and once again got more "You need to write a sequel!!" So I did...again. LOL It all came about purely because of peer pressure. The problem with that is I didn't really "feel" those sequels so to me, the writing wasn't as good. Which is horrifying to think after going back and reading a little of Mizpah. Yikes!!

That has happened to me, too, and I agree - it's hard to feel the same sense of pride and ownership in a story that you didn't come up with on your own and maybe didn't even really want to write.

Kind of the opposite of this, but one time I had a reader email me a story idea that she thought I should write.  It was AU, which I didn't like to read and had never written, and a long list sibling storyline, which I hate, but something about it intrigued me, and I thought, "Well, maybe I should give it a shot for something different."  So I did, and I liked it for a few chapters... until I got bored with it and started to hate it.  But I had already started posting it on my site, so I felt obligated to finish it.  I had an ending in mind, but I hated writing it so much that I decided to wrap it up early and save the rest for a sequel... which I never wrote. LOL  I had people asking me about the sequel for years, but that was not even enough to motivate me to write it, and it probably wouldn't have been any good anyway.  I shouldn't have written the original story in the first place.

[mare]

I have had that happen to. I've had people write me with full blown ideas that they wanted me to write for them. The plot, characters everything. LOL Some of them I couldn't help but think, wow this is a pretty great idea, maybe you should do this yourself! I don't think I ever actually went ahead and wrote any of them though.

I could never do that. Give someone else my idea and ask them to write it because the entire time I would be reading it, I'd be thinking "Hey! This was my idea!" lol And if I were to write someone else's idea I would feel like I would need to give them the credit and feel oogey for taking it for myself. Too weird!

[RokofAges75]

I think I would require monetary compensation to write on demand like that again LOL.  If you want to HIRE me to write your fanfic, fine... I'll do it for money.  But otherwise, no way.

I have never given someone else a whole story idea and asked them to write it.  I don't know how I would feel about that.  I guess maybe if it was something I'd want to read, but didn't feel I could do it justice, it might be worth it, but then I'd always wonder, "Would I have been able to write it this well or even better?"

I won't lie, though, Mare - if you offered to finish Guilty Roads for me, I'd probably be like, "Here, have at it!"  Perfect example of a story that would probably be a lot better in someone else's hands, someone who was better with the suspense part than me.  I could keep writing about Koma Kevin and let someone else take over Nick LOL.

[RokofAges75]

LMAO Mare, I love your new avy!

[Rose]

Lmfao at your avy Mare. Beyond fitting.

[mare]

Oh you guys can see it? It hasn't been showing up for me so I thought it was an upload FAIL! Excellent! lol

And lmao at me finishing Guilty Roads. I don't think I'd be able to do it justice because of all the research you did concerning the Amish. I'd end up in the next chapter having Nick accidentally causing a fire which kills the female lead (I can't even remember her name? lol) and then running right on out of there and back to the city. It would be the only way I would be able to take that one on and not feel like I had failed it, but by doing all of that, I would be failing it!

Hey fanfic on commission! Maybe there is a way for us all to make some money!! 

Here is another question: Is there a story that has been incomplete forever that you would love to take over and finish for someone? Or is there a story you haven't finished that you wouldn't mind someone taking over for you?

[RokofAges75]

And lmao at me finishing Guilty Roads. I don't think I'd be able to do it justice because of all the research you did concerning the Amish. I'd end up in the next chapter having Nick accidentally causing a fire which kills the female lead (I can't even remember her name? lol) and then running right on out of there and back to the city. It would be the only way I would be able to take that one on and not feel like I had failed it, but by doing all of that, I would be failing it!

Honestly, that is the problem I've been having with that story forever.  Why doesn't Nick just do that?  Is he really that stupid?  I want him to stay because that's how I envisioned the story going, but I don't know why he would, and the further I get into it, the harder it is to justify.  So I just stopped writing and moved on to something easier to write.  When the going gets tough... give up!

[RokofAges75]

Here is another question: Is there a story that has been incomplete forever that you would love to take over and finish for someone? Or is there a story you haven't finished that you wouldn't mind someone taking over for you?

The only one that, if asked, I would consider finishing is "Remember Me This Way" by Jen, which is not on AC or online at all anymore, now that Geocities is gone.  I still have it saved though.  It's totally my kind of story, and I think I could do it justice.  Nick is HIV positive and gets impaled on a pole in like the first or second chapter, so hey, it's pretty much right up my alley! LOL

Guilty Roads is the only one I would even consider giving to someone else, and I was only half-serious about that... but half-serious, not totally kidding LOL.  I guess any of my discontinued stories would be fair game too.  I still hope to finish Guilty Roads someday, but if anyone wanted to finish Now or Never or Fight For Survival II or keep writing Code Blue for me, have at it!

[mare]

Or have him leave! Just do it!! Would you like me to go in and burn a barn for you or something? LOL

Seriously to brain storm with you a second...maybe if you have her leave with him. It'll still keep the Amish angle that you're probably having a hard time justifying leaving that behind. but instead of everything being new to him it'll be new to her and probably a lot easier to write. The hardest part would be figuring out a way to get that to happen. Finding a reasons he would have to take her along.

Just a thought... lol

[mare]

The only one that, if asked, I would consider finishing is "Remember Me This Way" by Jen, which is not on AC or online at all anymore, now that Geocities is gone.  I still have it saved though.  It's totally my kind of story, and I think I could do it justice.  Nick is HIV positive and gets impaled on a pole in like the first or second chapter, so hey, it's pretty much right up my alley! LOL

Guilty Roads is the only one I would even consider giving to someone else, and I was only half-serious about that... but half-serious, not totally kidding LOL.  I guess any of my discontinued stories would be fair game too.  I still hope to finish Guilty Roads someday, but if anyone wanted to finish Now or Never or Fight For Survival II or keep writing Code Blue for me, have at it!

I remember that one with Nick being impaled!! I didn't remember it not being finished though. It's one of those stories I really enjoyed reading at the time. You should totally finish it! LOL

[RokofAges75]

Or have him leave! Just do it!! Would you like me to go in and burn a barn for you or something? LOL

Seriously to brain storm with you a second...maybe if you have her leave with him. It'll still keep the Amish angle that you're probably having a hard time justifying leaving that behind. but instead of everything being new to him it'll be new to her and probably a lot easier to write. The hardest part would be figuring out a way to get that to happen. Finding a reasons he would have to take her along.

Just a thought... lol

I have thought about that too, and I think I even planned on that happening at some point (I don't even know because I have never actually outlined that far), but that's the same problem I'm having too:  Why would she go with him?  Maybe if it was some kind of witness protection thing, but then she would have to witness something too, and how many times can the same bad guys be caught dumping dead bodies in one story without them getting caught? LOL

This story has more plot holes than a piece of swiss cheese, and that's why I have been having such a hard time with it.

[RokofAges75]

I remember that one with Nick being impaled!! I didn't remember it not being finished though. It's one of those stories I really enjoyed reading at the time. You should totally finish it! LOL

LOL Maybe someday I'll get bored and ask Jen if she'd let me.  I bet she would.  But the last thing I need on my plate is another story right now... especially another story about HIV LOL.

[mare]

LMAO Aww

If it makes you feel any better, having Nick just leave would totally make sense. No one would be upset by it, I believe because it's more than justifiable that he'd want to go back to the city because of what happened to Kevin and to try to fix things. At that point, it just becomes the question of if you are willing to let go of the Amish angle. The good part about that is, it's not really in the title anywhere. It's Nick's Guilty Road and he has already lived the Amish life and he could always go back, for example maybe the bad guys end up going to the Amish place and he feels the need to go back and make sure everyone is okay? So it starts and ends in the same place? But I think you're right about the fact that he wouldn't really stick around there for that long. Suspense is tough!